Amanda Frittz asks, “What does a true friend look like and how can you become one?”

Amanda Frittz says, “A True Friend Puts God First”. Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters–yes, even their own life–such a person cannot be my disciple”

First of all, if we want true Biblical friends, and we want to be a true Biblical friend, then Jesus must be first place in our life and in our friends life, to understand friendship principles. Jesus was a friend to us, while we were very lost, confused, disgusting, obnoxious, unfriendly sinners. He died on the cross and was raised from the dead, redeeming us unto himself, so we could have an eternal friendship with him.

To come to Jesus, to be his disciple, to learn his secret of being a friend, we must be totally sold out in love with him. Examining our allegiance and love for our self, and in our relationships with our father, our mother, our wife, our husband, our children, our brothers, our sisters, yes even our mother-in-law, all these must be considered as being hate relationships, yes, inferior, defective, low quality, even hate relationships, compared to our allegiance, love and friend relationship with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Only in this perspective can we then begin to understand how to love people, like Jesus loved us.

Amanda Frittz says, “A True Friend is Quick to Forgive & Slow to Anger”. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way…” Matthew 6:15 “but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

To be a true Biblical friend, we must realize that on our own terms, we are sinners, like soggy wet sponges, oozingly full and dripping with sin. We do not bring any glory of our own, to Jesus. We are disgusting before him, in our own naked shame. It is only after we have been redeemed by Jesus, and while the Holy Spirit provides us with the Fruit of the Spirit, that we are able to function in Christ’s love and forgive others, because Christ forgave and redeemed us.

Amanda Frittz says, “A True Friend Leads You Back to God When You Are Going Astray”. Proverbs 14:!2 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”

We looked at the map, we were sure, we made the correct turn onto this road, and all of a sudden it happened. It was you and me heading down a steep, narrow, winding mountain road, with a drop off on one side and the mountain on the other side, in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, in a motor-home, rapidly increasing in speed, with faulty brakes. We were screaming at the top of our lungs, at each other and at God, crying and praying in a state of shock, panic and terror that God would save us from a certain and sudden blood curling death. Low is the drop off in the Valley of Death, shall we fear no evil? Is our faithful friend with us? Where is our faithful friend, that will direct us back to a safe and peaceful path beside still waters, where our soul is restored? We need Biblical friends. We need to be Biblical friends. What a friend we have in Jesus!

Amanda Frittz says, “True Friends Sacrifice Their Comfort for One Another”. Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Jesus had it made in Heaven. Then he gave up his comfort. He came to earth. He sacrificed himself to redeem us. He gave us freedom. We should not use our freedom for our own selfish gluttony. Jesus served us. We should serve one another. Friends do without, so friends can be filled.

Amanda Frittz says that God created us with a deep desire for connection, for fellowship and for intimate emotional relationships and these are required for us to experience a healthy life. She says that God has given us Biblical instruction on how to experience true Biblical friendship and true Biblical love with other people.

There are a lot of Christians that have not done much better than non-Christians in the realms of 1] experiencing Biblical friendship, in their relationships 2] experiencing Biblical love, in their relationships, 3] knowing the characteristics of a true Biblical friend, in their relationships, and 4] knowing how to become a Biblical friend, in their relationships.

I suggest we read and compare the article below with my comments. More importantly, I recommend we study God’s Word, the Bible, about these concepts. Pray about these, talk to mature wholesome Christians, discuss this on J.S.N. and try practicing these concepts in our relationships. Your friend, Jerry 9-27-19 J.S.N.

The above article by Jerry O - 9-27-19 - Biblical Friendship was based upon an article by Amanda Frittz. 4 Characteristics of a True Friend for Life, is by Amanda Frittz. Faith in Home - Inspire your Faith - March 4, 2019 Blog

Mary welcomed me as a friend. She also previously wrote a Bible study lesson on the Book of Ruth.

Friend: Mary says that ... "Ruth means friend or companion." Ruth was a loyal friend and companion to Naomi during some very difficult situations.

How do we deal with difficult situations? Mary says ... "how we deal with difficult situations depends on how we see God in those situations."

How do we see Jesus in difficult situations? Mary says ... "Jesus Christ wants to redeem us for Himself." Are we seeing Jesus lately and often so he can redeem us for Himself??

Do we need to be redeemed from difficult situations? Mary says ... "Ruth didn’t have the right ancestry, position and purity that most people would have expected Boaz to desire. Ruth was not Jewish. She was a stranger or foreigner. Ruth wasn’t a virgin, but a widow. Ruth was not wealthy and was less than a servant girl." Oh my, do we have difficult situations? Do we need redemption big time? Is Jesus our Redeemer, each day, in our difficult situations?

Do we need to be desired and loved? Mary says ... "Despite all of this, Boaz loved her ." Despite our difficult situations, God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit loved and loves us.

What does Jesus want from us: Mary says that ... "The purpose ... of Ruth is to show the love and faithfulness that God wants from us." First God wants us, for his very own, so he loved us first, to get us, as his very own, while we were UN-redeemed miserable sinners. Then we were to begin a life time of living in our redeemed relationship with Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, with a new spiritual ... "noble character and ... heart, in Mary"s words, describing Ruth."

How can we show our love and faithfulness to Jesus that he wants from us? Since he became our friend first, we can become his loyal friend, based upon his terms, listed in his Word, the Bible. Part of being a friend to Jesus, is being a friend to people, who need Jesus, as their Friend, Savior and Lord.

Mary knew very little about me, but she stepped into the unknown realm by faith, to accept me as a friend. Accepting a friend could be like opening a box of chocolates and experiencing the mysterious contents, hidden beneath the coating. Sometimes the coating looks gross, sometimes marvelous. The contents are most always a devastating disappointment, and rarely an exorbitant delight. People at times, can be less than desirable, both with their coatings and their contents. People are broken, lost, in debt to sin, and down right obnoxious at times.

When I was in Jr. High School and younger, I often tormented and pestered my older brothers and sisters. At least once, they called me obnoxious and maybe other names, at other times, that I likely well deserved. They still loved me, and I loved them, and we all turned out to at least be tolerable.

We as people do not know what to expect in the realm of the unknown. The unknown can be a difficult situation in which to deal. Being a friend, to someone, whose coatings and contents are not always known, agreeable, and taste worthy can be an ongoing difficult situation.

Mary says ... "how we deal with difficult situations depends on how we see God in those situations." If we see Jesus, as our Redeemer, and we know that our Redeemer lives in us, then we can set aside our own gift of obnoxiousness, and in love and faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ, be a loyal friend to Jesus, a loyal friend to our obnoxious friends and bring redemption through our friendships and lay them down at the feet of Jesus, as a holy sacrifice. What a friend we have in Jesus!

The above article written by Jerry O, was based upon an article by Mary Osborn. Mary's Lesson Quotes from: The Book of Ruth Chapter 1 - Part 1 Posted on C.L.M. by Mary Osborn on April 27, 2019 at 3:31pm

Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. I will be happy if you write back to me through my email so that we can talk and know more about each other. Here's my Email: jennywilli[email protected] gm ail. com